The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-06-27
Rirst RnptIst Church.

1ub Uh6lOIs LhD IN0Ns ~ ~
selected the following text for his dis
course:
Gam / my brothers keeper" Gsn.
iv, 8. The above is Gains reply to the
Almighty when asked where his
brother Abel was. 1t is an attempt
not only to get clear of a crime, but 10
avoid fundamental principle OF hu-
man nature. Gain had slain his brother
because he had been given over to sell
fishnees long before he committed the
ain of murder. The first fearful trag-
edy of the race was that Of fratricide-
brother killing brother. What dark
beginning was thatl Picture the scene
II you can. Let fancy play. Let imsgi-
nation fly, and the horrors of that
scene cannot be overdrswn. The be-
ginning of Mother Ewes troubles as
mother-how many mothers have
been wrung in heart sincel The an
gels must have wept over that scene If
angels weep. Devils must have howled
in hide 5us and hellish notes when the
earth drank the blood of the first MUIR
dered man. Did not all nature cry
out against the bloody monster who
had headed the list of the long roll OF
the names OF the murderers who were
to infest the earth as hollions dark ?
Such were the circumstances when
this question was asked by one Of the
race. God did not give the inquirer
an answer in phraseology to be
written in words of human
speech. The affirmative answer to this
question has been indellibly written
upon everything in nature Were all
the oceans ink and all the foliage of
the forests paper and all humanity
scribes and milleniu LIB spent in
writing answers to Gains question, it
could not be more thoroughly i'm
pressed than it is. 1t is the law OF mu-
| tual dependence. This law runs
throughout this great universe which
contaiLs our little orb, as very small
atom in the republic OF worlds. All
i the worlds and system of worlds are
controlled absolutely by the law of
mutual dependence.
Gravitstlon is nothing but recog'
nition of the material dependence
which one world has upon another.
Chemical sffinities are nothing but ex-
pressons Of mutual dependence. There
can be no combinations till there are
forces combined. There can be no
zone from many" till the many exist
morally and intellectually. The same
law obtains. We are the result oil
many agencies, the alumni from many
schools. Divorce man from his moral
and mental environments and he will
be sn impotent thing; he win be q
parslytic.
Then none of us are complete in
ourselves. We are the compliments
of each other. We are merely arcs
quadrats- full of indentures. None
can live to himself, none die to him.
self. Our lives are Influenced by the
| lives of others. No man can die to.
night without his death affecting moi
only those of his immediate friends
bus the remotest world. You cam
| live in secret. You can't die
in secret. Your life is pho
tozraphed upon every hyinl
moment. Every infant born into this
world tonight will exert an influence
which shall sweep on far beyond this
moon and the stars.
How can we best respond to thit
demand laid upon us-laid in the
deepest necessities of our nature
Let us lend ourselves to the answering
of this question.
l. Let us be sure we have JUS
comprehension of ourselves, our i'm
portance as a factor in the equation o
human life. Every community il
| .A~t o,oh &, Ji,;dnaI Y,oakaa ~ Th.
thief, the tramp, the liar, the swind
Ter, the murderer, the gambler, thu
drunkard, the merchant, the lawyer
the philosopher and the fool-al
alike are casting oat streams OF in
huenCe which determine what W
shall be and how. This fact, Otter
overlooked by the better part o
the community. Just as wei
refuse to look after a case Of yellow
fever because a poor man, a blacl
man, or a Chinsmao, or some obScur
disrepu,sbls being is the sufferer.
2. We must learn to live for tn
public good and not for one individual
or class OF individuals. This will b
the only solution which can be ofere'
of the problem of strikes, labor trouble
and other questions which come in ant
destroy the integrity OF our common
good. / know it is asking a goo
deal when we ask all men to be phi
lanthropists. l know 1t requires sac
rifice when we undertake to live fe
every man within the bounds OF on
influence. What has ruined thl
!. country is the party idea. the class ides
the individual idea. every man 10
himself" yes, "and the devil for all.
8. Again, we must conserve tn
lessons from the history Of tn
race and the moral forces OF tn
community and put them In sue
permanent form as will be bes
, for the present and the future people
This can only be done by wise leeisla
ton and such other expressions OF pc
litical, civil and social conduct as WI
stamp every crime and condemn ever
elm. Strict justice in the administrs
tions of law, rigid enforcement OF th
law in cases OF crime and speedy in
q ction of the penalty. This l mos
sincerely believe would revers
much of what goes for Jus
tice in the courts Of our own city, l
would blot out every drinking hel
! from. this town. 1t would remov
! many a temptation from our sons
and save our daughters from shame.
NV people, If there is anything dem
onstiated beyond all question, by tn
history of the race, by our own histor,
as the American people, 1t is that tn
duties of man to man, our duties q
the Young men and the children, to
women and the gray headed siree,
is that we must drive from our mids
once and forever the whisky trafhc 0
} this country. Let no one hstter MN
self that he is not needed in the con
test-he is. Rise up, my friends; &c
sert your moral dignity. Show youl
self that none but murdere
ssks whether he is his broth
er's keeper. Make the 2Sil
of September next memorable
In the annals Of time because OF you
heroic action 10 the suppression AM
bsnishment Of the darkest enem.
from the borders Of our fair state; lie
l :. AL4a owanA nld riV0Y